In a vehicle travel control apparatus configured to determine a target acceleration of an own vehicle based on an inter-vehicle distance to a predicted cutting-in vehicle predicted to cut in between the own vehicle and a following target vehicle as well as an inter-vehicle distance to the following target vehicle, it is necessary to notify a driver of the presence of the predicted cutting-in vehicle at an appropriate timing. A cutting-in probability, which is a probability that the predicted cutting-in vehicle carries out the cutting in, is acquired, and information on the predicted cutting-in vehicle is notified to the driver from a time point when a state where the cutting-in probability is higher than a start probability threshold has continued for a predetermined period to a time point when a state where the cutting-in probability is lower than an end probability threshold has continued for a predetermined period.

A method, apparatus, and system for executing a lane change is disclosed. That an ADV is in a lane changing region for an anticipated lane change into a neighboring target lane in a first direction is determined. The first direction is either a left direction or a right direction in a direction of travel of the ADV. A reference line is moved toward the target lane in the first direction at a predetermined rate while the reference line is kept within a current lane of the ADV. A gap in traffic for the anticipated lane change is searched for. Thereafter, in response to finding the gap in traffic for the anticipated lane change, the ADV is controlled to complete the lane change into the target lane.

A method, apparatus, and system for executing a lane change is disclosed. That an ADV is in a lane changing region for an anticipated lane change into a neighboring target lane in a first direction is determined. The first direction is either a left direction or a right direction in a direction of travel of the ADV. A reference line is moved toward the target lane in the first direction at a predetermined rate while the reference line is kept within a current lane of the ADV. A gap in traffic for the anticipated lane change is searched for. Thereafter, in response to finding the gap in traffic for the anticipated lane change, the ADV is controlled to complete the lane change into the target lane.

Disclosed is a vehicle control system configured to set a speed distribution area defining the distribution of an upper-limit relative speed around a given object, and executes a speed control and/or a steering control of a vehicle so as to prevent a relative speed of the vehicle with respect to the object from exceeding the upper-limit relative speed defined in the speed distribution area, wherein the vehicle control system is configured to estimate the degree of visibility of a driver of the vehicle based on external information (e.g., wiper operating state and light intensity) acquired by an external state detection sensor (e.g., a wiper sensor and a light intensity sensor), and change the distribution of the upper-limit relative speed in the speed distribution area according to the estimated degree of the visibility.

Provided is a vehicle control device (100) designed to control vehicle traveling, and includes: a surrounding vehicle detection part (10b) to detect a surrounding vehicle (3); a vehicle information receiving part (26) to receive information regarding a traveling state thereof; a speed distribution setting part (10d) to set a speed limit distribution (40) defining a permissible upper limit relative speed, around the surrounding vehicle; and a control part (10d) to control a speed and/or steering of an own vehicle (1) to satisfy the speed limit distribution set by the speed distribution setting part, wherein the speed distribution setting part is configured to set the speed limit distribution such that the speed limit distribution is different for when the information regarding the traveling state of the surrounding vehicle has been able to be acquired, and when no information has been able to be acquired.

Provided is a vehicle control device for controlling vehicle travel includes one or more processors configured to function as: a surrounding vehicle detection part to detect a surrounding vehicle traveling around an own vehicle; a course information acquisition part to acquire traveling course information regarding a subsequent traveling course of the surrounding vehicle detected by the surrounding vehicle detection part; a speed distribution setting part to set a speed limit distribution defining a permissible upper limit relative speed, around the surrounding vehicle detected by the surrounding vehicle detection part; and a control part to control the speed and/or steering of the own vehicle to satisfy the speed limit distribution set by the speed distribution setting part, wherein the speed distribution setting part is operable to set the speed limit distribution, according to the traveling course information acquired by the course information acquisition part.

The present invention provides a vehicle control device for controlling vehicle travel. The vehicle control device includes one or more processors configured to function as: a surrounding vehicle detection part configured to detect a surrounding vehicle traveling around an own vehicle; a road surface condition estimation part configured to estimate a road surface condition; a speed distribution setting part configured to set a speed limit distribution defining a permissible upper limit relative speed, around the surrounding vehicle detected by the surrounding vehicle detection part; and a control part configured to control the speed and/or steering of the own vehicle to satisfy the speed limit distribution, wherein the speed distribution setting part is configured to, when it is estimated by the road surface condition estimation part that the road surface condition causes an increase in the braking distance, lower the permissible upper limit relative speed.

A method and system for navigating an autonomous vehicle is disclosed. The method comprises determining a relative velocity between the autonomous vehicle and each of one or more surrounding vehicles. Thereafter, the relative velocity associated with each of the one or more surrounding vehicles may be compared with a predefined relative speed threshold to identify a plurality of vehicles-of-interest from the one or more surrounding vehicles. An area bounded by the plurality of vehicles-of-interest may then be determined as a current navigable space for the autonomous vehicle. Subsequently, a future navigable space for the autonomous vehicle may be predicted based on a predicted velocity of the plurality of vehicles-of-interest and a predicted distance to the plurality of vehicles-of-interest. The autonomous vehicle may then be navigated based on the current navigable space and the future navigable space.

A method and system for navigating an autonomous vehicle is disclosed. The method comprises determining a relative velocity between the autonomous vehicle and each of one or more surrounding vehicles. Thereafter, the relative velocity associated with each of the one or more surrounding vehicles may be compared with a predefined relative speed threshold to identify a plurality of vehicles-of-interest from the one or more surrounding vehicles. An area bounded by the plurality of vehicles-of-interest may then be determined as a current navigable space for the autonomous vehicle. Subsequently, a future navigable space for the autonomous vehicle may be predicted based on a predicted velocity of the plurality of vehicles-of-interest and a predicted distance to the plurality of vehicles-of-interest. The autonomous vehicle may then be navigated based on the current navigable space and the future navigable space.

A vehicle traveling control apparatus of the invention stops a vehicle by causing a braking force applying device to apply a braking force to the vehicle after determining that a driver is under an abnormal state. When a stop of a control for maintaining a vehicle at a stopped state is requested while a shift lever is set at a range other than parking and neutral ranges, the apparatus limits a driving force requested for a driving force supplying device to supply to drive wheels, to a value smaller than a driver's requesting driving force.